Town Board creates groundwork for part-time municipal employees

Town of Saukville officials have decided they can no longer expect volunteers to operate the weekly recycling program.

The staffing answer, officials said, is the hiring of several recycling center attendants.

Before they could make that move, however, a structure had to be created to hire the employees.

“These will be our first non-statutory employees so a mechanism had to be put in place,” said Supr. Mike Denzien, who has been helping at the recycling center on Saturday mornings with his wife Seetha.

Denzien crafted a resolution giving the town the authority to hire casual employees, which he distinguished from part-time workers because they would not have regular hours.

As casual employees, Denzien said there would be no need to offer benefits.

“Because there is no contract, if some problem arises we wouldn’t need to fire them, just stop scheduling them,” he said.

After the Town Board unanimously approved the resolution allowing casual employees, it approved creating the job of recycling center attendant.

Denzien said the goal is to create a pool of attendants, so one person is not overwhelmed by the duties.

The drop-off center behind Town Hall, 3762 Lakeland Rd., is open Saturdays from 8 to 11:30 a.m.

Denzien originally recommended the attendant be paid $20 an hour, but the board reduced the pay to $15 an hour before approving the job.

“I didn’t know what an appropriate pay rate would be, but I do know it can be bloody cold when you are out there for three-and-a-half hours in winter,” he said.

Officials said the same casual employee approach might be used to hire individuals who are available for short-notice road clearing projects, like removing downed tree limbs.